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Thursday, February 25, 2010

{ love, and a quilt, for Layla Grace }

I've spent the last few days repeatedly checking Layla Grace's twitter page and blog for updates, hoping and praying for a miracle and news that she's getting better. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that is going to happen, at least not on this earth. I'm kind of a softy, and I cry very easily, but I was especially moved by this passage on Layla's blog that published by her mom two days ago

I take comfort in a few things. First, I know there are angels watching over her. I know they are sitting right beside her; that she is never alone. Her angels will usher her into heaven. Second, I know her death will not be in vain. She has done what God sent her here to do. She has gone above and beyond. I receive hundreds and hundreds of emails every day from people telling me their faith is stronger because of her. She has managed to do more Godly works in her short 2 years on earth than most people do in 80. I take comfort in the fact that when she returns home, she will be greeted by the Lord and hear “Well done good and faithful servant”. She will instantly be renewed and have a perfect heavenly body. There will be no more tears, no more pain and no more sorrow. She will see glorious things we can’t even begin to dream of. Revelation 21:18-21 says The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.d 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

I’ve spent all this time praying for her to be healed. AND SHE WILL BE. It just might not be in the way I want. Within a few short days, one way or another, Layla will be healed and absolutely perfect.

So, as I was working last night, I got an email from my friend Candace, asking if she could blog about my fundraising efforts for Layla's family. And then Candace came up with the fantastic idea of making a quilt in honor of Layla and giving it to her family. Candice runs Cotton Candie Fabric, an online fabric store, and has lots of connections to all sorts of crafty ladies, so we're all going to make some blocks and send them to her when they're done. She'll put all the pieces together and finish the quilts, and then send them to the Marsh family. We're hoping that we'll have enough blocks to make a few quilts, including one for each of Layla's two older sisters. I'm going to applique Layla's monogram on one of the blocks, and I'm hoping to make a few more for each quilt, too.

If you'd like to make a block for the quilt, just let me know! We'd love to have more people contribute to it. Please send me an email directly at olive_and_ollie { at! } yahoo dot com for more information. And if you pray, please pray for peace and comfort for Layla and her family. Thank you.